Obadiah the Bold [Paperback]

Brinton Turkle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2004

The charming adventures of Obadiah Starbuck have been beloved by children and adults alike since he first captured hearts in the story of his friendship with an injured seagull in Thy Friend, Obadiah, winner of the Caldecott Honor. The days of Clipper ships and Whalers in the quaint colonial village of Nantucket form the backdrop to these heartwarming tales of a Quaker family and the often rambunctious but always delightful Obadiah. In this tale, Obadiah has determined to become a fearless pirate when he grows up—to roam the seas with buried treasure in secret places! But the gift of an heirloom telescope and a gentle lesson from his father on true bravery give Obadiah an entirely new perspective on courage. Brinton Turkle's warm and engaging watercolors suit the text perfectly. 36 pg

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Brinton Turkle was born on August 15, in Alliance, Ohio. He drew constantly in school. "Unfortunately, none of my school teachers appreciated it. If only one elementary school teacher had egged me on, I think I would have acquired art skills much earlier than I did." Turkle had an immense interest in the theatre, but the uncertainty of that life wasn't appealing. After a job in advertising in Chicago, he married and moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he was able to indulge his theatrical interests. He had an ambition to write and illustrate three children's books so he could dedicate them to each of his three children. He was awarded a Caldecott Honor in 1970 for Thy Friend, Obadiah.

Product Details

• Paperback: 37 pages
• Publisher: Beautiful Feet Books (May 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1893103196
• ISBN-13: 978-1893103191
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #459,489 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ob-la-di, Ob-a-diah, July 14, 2004

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Obadiah the Bold (Picture Puffin) (Paperback)

I attended a Quaker college not too long ago, leaving me with a mess of Quaker friends as a result. Speaking with one the other day, we got to talking about children's books. In the past this friend has brought my attention to such wonderful picture book classics as "The Maggie B." and I was eager to ask her opinion regarding Quaker picture books. As far as I could determine, there aren't many of them out there. My friend quickly assured me that when she was growing up she had the luck to attend the same Meeting as the author Brinton Turkle. Mr. Turkle would even read to the children from his "Obadiah" series. I had to admit that I'd never read an "Obadiah" book, much less read one. Without further ado, my friend insisted that I read one. So I located, "Obadiah the Bold", read it through once, read it through twice, and came to a single solitary conviction. This book is absolutely fantastic and should be better known, consarn it!

The plot takes place in early colonial America. Obadiah is the fourth child in a Quaker family of seven and he has recently been given a beautiful spyglass (telescope to you laymen). During meeting Obadiah has dutifully returned the spyglass home but has come to a decision regarding his future occupation. He would like to be a pirate. He would be Obadiah the Bold, Terror of the Seven Seas. This seems like a pretty good plan and his father has to admit that there has never been a piratical Starbuck in the family before. But when Obadiah insists that his older siblings play pirate with his, he is shocked to find himself bound and gagged before being forced to walk the plank. Somehow this aspect of the pirate life never really occurred to him before. When he asks his father about the matter, he's told that truly few pirates were as brave as Obadiah's grandfather. That man sailed around the Horn four times and was the captain of a fine ship. With joy, Obadiah is able to use his spyglass once again and now he has a new future occupation in mind. One his grandfather would have been proud of.

I read this book through initially with a wary eye. I know a lot of Quakers and I know a lot of Quakerly misconceptions. There are people to this day that will get Quakers mixed up with the Amish. I don't know how many times I've mentioned that I went to a Quaker school only to be asked, "Could you wear buttons?". So I was naturally worried that this book might perpetuate those stereotypes. In a way you could argue that it does. I mean, there are a lot of "thee" and "thous" but at the same time this is obviously a historical piece. Moreover, I kind of enjoyed that the Quaker meeting was self-explanatory. There was no long drawn out explanation about the events. The book also made it perfectly clear that when you get down to it, there's just not a lot of difference between boys in the 1700s and boys today. I mean, Obadiah wants to be a pirate. Today, one of the best selling picture books is the charming, "How I Became a Pirate" by Melinda Long. Coincidence? I think not!

The book also shows an honestly loving family. When our young hero declares his life's ambition, his family does not ridicule him or say silly things like, "That is not the Quaker way" (words that a book written by someone who was not a Quaker would have undoubtedly included). Instead the family listens to him and respects his choices. Later, when Obadiah decides to ask his dad about a matter that has been troubling him, his father is patient and willing to set aside his work to speak with his youngest son. It's a touching and incredibly real moment. As for the illustrations in this book, they're perfect. Just perfect. When Obadiah imagines himself as a fearsome pirate, I was delighted to see him wearing gold earrings, a pirate hat, a sash, sword... and his Quaker jacket. Drawn with pencil and watercolor, every character in this book has a different and distinguishable face. Every scene is realistically rendered and fits the plot perfectly.

Though it was originally published in 1965, "Obadiah the Bold" really deserves to be remembered today. There are few Quaker picture books out there that give any kind of depth or humanity to their subjects. This, however, is one of the few and I give it two enthusiastic thumbs up. If you can find a copy, I suggest you secure it and read it to your little ones often.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A little boy learns the real meaning of the word "brave.", October 5, 2001

By 

slomamma (San Luis Obispo, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Obadiah the Bold: 2 (Paperback)

This was the first in a series of books about Obadiah Starbuck, a charming little six-year-old Quaker boy in colonial-era Nantucket. In this story, Obadiah dreams of being a "fearless" pirate who has exciting adventures on the high seas. His dream ends when his older siblings play such a rough and frightening game of pirate with him that he realizes he is not as fearless as he would like to be. His father saves the day by telling him about his grandfather, the captain of a sailing ship, who was braver than any pirate, because he sailed the seas and had adventures without ever hurting anyone, the way pirates do. And so Obadiah begins to refashion his old dream in a more positive, peaceful direction.

This is a wonderful book about what it really means to be a brave man. What I especially like about it is the character of ObadiahÕs father. When Obadiah first announces that he wants to be a pirate, his father, a gentle Quaker man who surely must have been shocked, says only that he hopes Obadiah will be a good one. Later, when he speaks of ObadiahÕs grandfather, you hear in his voice both family pride and love for his son. I think this is the best portrait of a patient and caring father IÕve seen in childrenÕs literature. The book doesnÕt just lecture about what it means to be a good man, the father embodies it. That alone makes this book priceless.

If youÕre as charmed by Obadiah as I am, there are three more books about him Ñ Thy Friend Obadiah, Rachel and Obadiah, and The Adventures of Obadiah. All of them are superb.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Enjoyable, June 21, 2007

By 

kayinpa (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Obadiah the Bold (Paperback)

This is a charming book about little Quaker boy Obadiah Starbuck and his new spyglass. I enjoyed reading it to my children (and they enjoyed listening to it) and look forward to reading the rest of the books in this series.